Developmental and tissue-specific regulation of mouse telomerase and telomere length.

Telomere shortening and telomerase activation in human somatic cells have been implicated in cell immortalization and cellular senescence. To further study the role of telomerase in immortalization, we assayed telomere length and telomerase activity in primary mouse fibroblasts, in spontaneously immortalized cell clones, and in mouse tissues. In the primary cell cultures, telomere length decreased with increased cell doublings and telomerase activity was not detected. In contrast, in spontaneously immortalized clones, telomeres were maintained at a stable length and telomerase activity was present. To determine if telomere shortening occurs in vivo, we assayed for telomerase and telomere length in tissues from mice of different ages. Telomere length was similar among different tissues within a newborn mouse, whereas telomere length differed between tissues in an adult mouse. These findings suggest that there is tissue-specific regulation of mouse telomerase during development and aging in vivo. In contrast to human tissues, most mouse tissues had active telomerase. The presence of telomerase in these tissues may reflect the ease of immortalization of primary mouse cells relative to human cells in culture.     

Establishment of Novel Human Esophageal Cancer Cell Line in Relation to Telomere Dynamics and Telomerase Activity

The telomere and the telomerase in human esophageal cancer are not yet completely understood. The regulatory mechanism of telomerase activity and telomere dynamics has drawn considerable attention. It is generally assumed that when telomerase has been activated, no further telomere shortening should ensue; however, a much more complex pattern of telomere dynamics may exist in telomerase-positive cancer cells. A novel human esophageal cancer cell line (KAN-ES) was established and characterized. Using KAN-ES and its serially passaged subclones up to the 55th generation, we determined the alteration of telomere length (TRF), telomerase activity (TA), telomerase RNA expression (hTR), population doubling time, karyotype, and cytokeratin 14 expression during the process of establishing a cancer cell line. We found that the TRF was maintained between 4.0 and 5.0 kb during the serial passages, despite sustained high TA (assessed by an in vitro TRAP assay). No close relationships were found among TRF, TA, and hTR expression. TA and telomere dynamics were not associated with cellular growth ability and differentiation. However, the number of population doublings showed significant correlations with both the TA and doubling times. In conclusion, these dissociations between telomere dynamics and TA support the existence of additional controls on TRF in cancer cells. KAN-ES and its restored subclones should prove a valuable resourse for esophageal cancer research.     

Telomerase expression in chickens: Constitutive activity in somatic tissues and down-regulation in culture

Although human and rodent telomeres have been studied extensively, very little is known about telomere dynamics in other vertebrates. Moreover, our current dependence on mice as a model for human tumorigenesis and aging poses a problem because human and mouse telomere biology is very different. To explore whether chickens might provide a more useful model, we have examined telomerase activity and telomere length in chicken tissues as well as in primary cell cultures. Although chicken telomeres resemble human telomeres in that they are 8–20 kb in length, the distribution of telomerase activity in chickens resembles what is found in mice. Active enzyme is present in germline tissue as well as in a wide range of somatic tissues. Because chicken cells exhibit extremely low rates of spontaneous immortalization, this finding indicates that constitutive telomerase expression does not necessarily lead to an increased immortalization frequency. Finally, we found that telomerase activity is greatly down-regulated when primary cultures are established from chicken embryos. Although this down-regulation explains the telomere loss and replicative senescence that we observed in fibroblast cultures, it raises questions concerning how relevant studies of senescence in primary cell cultures are to aging in whole animals.     

人端粒酶逆转录酶干扰增强肿瘤坏死因子相关的凋亡诱导配体诱导肝癌细胞凋亡的机制

目的探讨人端粒酶逆转录酶(hTERT)干扰增加肿瘤坏死因子相关的凋亡诱导配体(TRAIL)诱导肝癌HepG2和SMMC 7721细胞凋亡的分子机制。方法采用膜联蛋白V/碘化丙锭染色的流式细胞术方法检测细胞凋亡;采用Western blot方法检测凋亡相关蛋白Procaspase-8、9、-3及Bax、Bcl-2和hTERT表达;采用端粒重复扩增法和端粒数量和长度测定法检测端粒酶活陛和端粒长度。结果hTERT干扰显著增加TRAIL诱导的肝癌细胞凋亡。100 ng/ml TRAIL作用24 h后,HepG2细胞凋亡率由5.53%增加至10.35%;SMMC 7721细胞凋亡率由14.73%增加至77.24%。hTERT干扰明显增加Procaspase-8、-9和Bcl-2表达,显著降低Bax表达,明显促进TRAIL作用后Procaspase-8、-9、-3活化,并且hTERT干扰后端粒酶活性显著降低,端粒长度明显缩短,然而对照细胞与未转染细胞相比各指标均无明显变化。结论hTERT干扰明显增加TRAIL诱导的肝癌细胞凋亡,其机制可能与Procaspase-8、-9表达增加,端粒酶活性降低和端粒长度缩短有关,而与Bcl-2和Bax表达无关。     

Expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit, hTERT, induces resistance to transforming growth factor beta growth inhibition in p16INK4A(-) human mammary epithelial cells

Failures to arrest growth in response to senescence or transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) are key derangements associated with carcinoma progression. We report that activation of telomerase activity may overcome both inhibitory pathways. Ectopic expression of the human telomerase catalytic subunit, hTERT, in cultured human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) lacking both telomerase activity and p16(INK4A) resulted in gaining the ability to maintain indefinite growth in the absence and presence of TGF-beta. The ability to maintain growth in TGF-beta was independent of telomere length and required catalytically active telomerase capable of telomere maintenance in vivo. The capacity of ectopic hTERT to induce TGF-beta resistance may explain our previously described gain of TGF-beta resistance after reactivation of endogenous telomerase activity in rare carcinogen-treated HMEC. In those HMEC that overcame senescence, both telomerase activity and TGF-beta resistance were acquired gradually during a process we have termed conversion. This effect of hTERT may model a key change occurring during in vivo human breast carcinogenesis.     

CpG island methylation of the hTERT promoter is associated with lower telomerase activity in B-cell lymphocytic leukemia

OBJECTIVE: Expression of the catalytic subunit of the telomerase enzyme hTERT is essential for prolonging the replicative lifespan and is the rate-limiting step in cellular immortalization and carcinogenesis. Because hTERT expression is positively correlated with telomerase activity, its regulation is suggested as the major determinant of enzymatic activity. The hTERT promoter region contains two CpG islands, which are known to be target sites for de novo DNA methylation. To elucidate the impact of this epigenetic mechanism on telomerase activity, we analyzed the degree of hTERT promoter methylation in 30 patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: hTERT promoter methylation was assessed using a methylation-specific competitive polymerase chain reaction assay. The assay is based on digestion of genomic DNA with a methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme before amplification with an internal standard. RESULTS: Patients exhibiting high telomerase activity showed significantly less methylation of the hTERT promoter core domain than patients with low enzyme activity. In addition, telomerase activity was significantly associated with telomere length and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that the degree of CpG island methylation of the hTERT promoter exhibits an impact on telomerase activity in a subgroup of patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and therefore is assumed to play a role in regulating hTERT gene expression in these patients.     

Telomerase inhibition and telomere lossin BEL—7404 humen hepatoma cells treated with doxorubicin

AIM：To study the effects of doxorub icin on telomerase activity and telomere length in hepatocellular carcinoma.METHODS:Telomerase activity was assayed with a non-radioisotopic quantitative telomerase repeat amplification protocal-based method.The effect of doxorubicin(DOX) on the growth of BEL-7404 human hepatoma cells was the growth of BEL-7404human hepatoma cells was determined by microculture tetrazoloum assay.Mean telomere length(terminal restriction fragment)was detected by Southern blot method.The expression of telomerase subunits genes was investigated by RT-PCR,Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were evaluated by flow cytometry.RESULTS:Telomerase activity was inhibited in a dose and time-depandent manner in BEL-7404human hepatoma cells treated with DOXfor24,48or72h in concentrations from 0.156to 2.5μMwhich was crrelated with the inhibition of cell growth.No changes were found in the mRNA expression of three telomerase subunits(hTERT,hTR and TP1)after drug exposure for 72h with indicated concentrations.The cells treated with DOX showed shortened mean telomer length and accumulated at he G2/M phase.However,there was almost no effects on cell apoptosis by DOX.CONCLUSION:The telomerase inhibition an d the telomere shortening by ODXmay contribute to its efficiency in the treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma.     

Human embryonic stem cell telomere length impacts directly on clonal progenitor isolation frequency

The pluripotentiality of human embryonic stem cells is expected to yield an abundance of clinically useful cell types. Using physiologic oxygen culture systems, we show that it is possible to isolate highly proliferative clonal progenitor cells from partially differentiated human embryonic stem cells. These progenitors have similar, though not identical, immunophenotypes with a resemblance to bone marrow-derived adherent stem cells. Through telomere length analysis of multiple early senescing clones, we were able to show that the starting telomere length of a human embryonic stem cell line impacts on the proliferative potential of clonally isolated partially differentiated mortal progeny. Proliferative clones undergo growth arrest with telomere lengths consistent with telomere-driven replicative senescence. To bypass this phenomenon, we transduced progenitor cells with ectopic hTERT (the limiting catalytic component of telomerase). This enabled telomerase immortalization without affecting differentiation potential or immunophenotype. In summary we describe the derivation of clonal progenitor cells from human embryonic stem cells and the relevance of parental cell telomere length to the frequency of highly proliferative clone isolation.     

Telomere length and telomerase activity in the BCR-ABL-transformed murine Pro-B cell line BaF3 is unaffected by treatment with imatinib

OBJECTIVE: Imatinib mesylate is a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) leukemia and other malignancies. In previous studies, we found significant telomere shortening in Ph+ cells from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Interestingly, imatinib treatment was found to lead to a normalization of previously shortened telomere length in CML patients. Based on recent reports demonstrating that c-ABL phosphorylates hTERT and thereby inhibits hTERT activity, a direct effect of imatinib on hTERT activity leading to telomere elongation in BCR-ABL-positive cells has been proposed by others. Such an effect could be of potential importance for telomere maintenance in Ph+ cells by facilitating clonal selection and progression of the disease to blast crisis. METHODS: We investigated the impact of imatinib on telomere length and telomerase activity of the interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine pro-B cell line BaF3 and the BCR-ABL-positive, IL-3-independent transfectant BaF3p185 in vitro. RESULTS: When BaF3 and BaF3p185 cells were treated with imatinib (the latter being rescued with IL-3), no effect on either telomerase activity or telomere length was observed. These findings can be explained by the cytoplasmatic localization of BCR-ABL found in BaF3p185 as compared to the nuclear localization of telomerase (and c-ABL). CONCLUSION: As opposed to recent reports for c-ABL, we do not see evidence for a functional interaction between BCR-ABL and hTERT in this model system arguing against imatinib-mediated upregulation of hTERT as a crucial factor for clonal selection and disease progression of CML.     

Growth arrest, apoptosis, and telomere shortening of Barrett's-associated adenocarcinoma cells by a telomerase inhibitor

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma (BEAC) is a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease, with no effective chemotherapy and poor prognosis. BEAC cells, like many other types of cancers, may reactivate telomerase to achieve unlimited proliferative potential, making telomerase a unique therapeutic target. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of telomerase inhibition on BEAC. METHODS: We examined the effect of a selective G-quadruplex intercalating telomerase inhibitor, 2,6-bis[3-(N-Piperidino)propionamido]anthracene-9,10-dione (PPA), on telomerase activity, telomere length, colony size distribution, and proliferative potential in 2 BEAC cell lines, BIC-1 and SEG-1. RESULTS: Telomerase activity was >10-fold and >600-fold elevated in the adenocarcinoma cells as compared with normal gastric/intestinal cells and normal diploid fibroblasts, respectively. Telomeres were short, being less than 4 kilobase pair in both tumor cell lines. Exposure to PPA effectively inhibited telomerase activity and shortened telomeres. PPA also arrested cell proliferation and reduced colony number and size after a lag period of about 10 cell generations, consistent with the attrition of telomeres. The growth arrest was not due to senescence but was due to apoptosis. Expression analysis of the cells following PPA treatment did not show significant change in the expression of genes involved in cell-cycle proliferation and apoptosis. Exposure to PPA had no effect on proliferative potential of normal intestinal cells. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that telomerase inhibition by PPA induces cell growth arrest in BEAC cells and demonstrate the potential of telomerase inhibitors in chemoprevention and treatment of Barrett's-associated esophageal adenocarcinoma.